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Volleyball sinks Hingham punching tourney ticket

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Lily Welch vs Hingham. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Last Friday was Lily Welch’s mother’s birthday. 

That wasn’t all she ended up celebrating. 

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ volleyball senior captain registered 17 kills and eight total blocks to power the Panthers to a 3-1 upset win over Hingham. 

“[She’s] unstoppable,” said W-H head coach Samantha Richner of Welch. “Her athleticism just drifts. She gets up so high, but she’s also a player that works hard. Lily wants to be the best and she does it 365 all year.” 

“I literally just cried,” Welch said. “I’m so happy. We’ve never beaten Hingham. They’re an amazing team, they’ve been an amazing team. This just shows how talented we are.” 

It sure does. 

Welch and the Panthers got the home crowd into it early, setting the tone and taking the first set, 25-14. 

However, the Harborwomen turned the tide in the second set, sinking W-H, 25-18, and opened the third set on a 7-1 run. But the Panthers battled back to take set, 25-22, and never looked back. W-H clinched the win with a 25-14 victory in the fourth set. 

“When our girls are up and they play they’re game, they’re unstoppable,” Richner said. “We know the talent we have and I think they’re sick and tired of getting beat by these teams. They know what had to do and they did it.”

Fellow senior captain Abby Martin added eight kills, while classmate Riley Scott tallied 12 digs in the win, which secured W-H a spot in the Div. 2 state tournament. 

The Panthers are back in action Friday, Oct. 22 when they host Duxbury at 5:30 p.m.

“We want to be the first team to win a state tournament game at Whitman-Hanson,” Welch said. 

Boys’ basketball nets Patriot Cup to cap perfect season

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The Panthers pose after winning the Patriot Cup. / Courtesy photo

The boys’ basketball team capped off a perfect season by netting the Patriot Cup.

Make it 35 straight wins and a Patriot Cup to show.

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team completed a perfect 12-0 season with a 74-61 victory over league rival Hingham in the Patriot Cup final on Saturday, Feb. 20.

The Panthers trailed the Harbormen 58-56 with 4:50 remaining, before outscoring Hingham 18-3 — highlighted by a 15-0 run — the rest of the way.

“The kids locked in defensively and just owned the glass,” said W-H head coach Bob Rodgers. “We got the stops and the boards and that allowed us to get more comfortable on offense.”

Junior Amari Jamison gave the Panthers a 61-58 lead with 3:37 left when he knocked down three of his team-high 18 points.

Senior captain Cole LeVangie led the way with 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, while fellow senior captain Nate Amado and junior Ryan Vallancourt also scored 16 points apiece in the win.

“Not many teams challenged us this year, so it was impressive to see our kids show such poise,” Rodgers said. “I can’t say enough about our two junior guards. They both stepped up huge. Of course, we all have been privileged to watch two of the greatest players in school history in Nate Amado and Cole LeVangie and down the stretch they made the big plays when we needed them. I will sure miss both of them.

W-H, which has not lost since Dec. 26, 2020, heads into the offseason with the state’s longest winning streak at 35 straight.

“The entire team deserves so much credit for the road they had to travel to make this incredible season a reality,” Rodgers said. “COVID has taken so much away from so many people but these kids just refused to let it steal this season from them. It’s a great lesson for all of us about appreciating what you have and focusing on only that which you can control. Every member of this team should be proud of the league title and the Patriot Cup but more importantly about what kind of friends and teammates they were to each other.”

Panthers sink Harbormen

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Four weeks after suffering the program’s worst regular-season loss in over 10 years, a 71-45 defeat to Hingham, the Panthers rebounded for a 68-51 Patriot League Keenan Division win over the Harbormen.

HINGHAM – Bob Rodgers did something he doesn’t usually do.

On Friday evening, with 15 minutes left to spare before the opening tip off of the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team’s game against Hingham, the 18-year head coach took a backseat for a moment.

He sent his seniors into the locker room to preach to his team, while he remained on the bench.

“I told them, ‘This is your team, you tell them,’ Rodgers said.

‘It’s not just about you playing well, it’s about getting the team ready to play.’”

The move seemed to have paid dividends. Four weeks after suffering the program’s worst regular-season loss in over 10 years, a 71-45 defeat to Hingham, the Panthers rebounded for a 68-51 Patriot League Keenan Division win over the Harbormen.

“It’s just a testament to a team of resiliency,” Rodgers said. “I give the kids all the credit in the world. I’m really proud of my guys.”

The Panthers’ triumph denied Hingham (14-2, 11-2) a share of the league title — at least for now.

When the Panthers (13-4, 11-2) needed a bucket, they turned to their senior captain Sean Leahy, who finished the night with a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds.

“We wanted it, we just wanted to win tonight,” Leahy said.

Leahy poured in 13 points during the first half as W-H took a 34-30 lead into the break.

Down 35-34, a minute into the third quarter, the Panthers would go on a 10-1 run – sparked by five points from senior captain Jacob Hanson Bartlett (13 points, 5 rebounds) – to pull ahead 44-36 with 4:21 remaining in the frame.

With four minutes remaining, Tajh Hunter sliced to the hoop for two and drew a foul. After the free-throw make, W-H was ahead, 57-42.

Hunter, who finished the contest with nine points and five boards, played an integral role in W-H’s defensive scheme. The junior guard limited Hingham’s John Gates, who had 14 points in the two clubs’ previous meeting, to just one point (free throw with 3:11 remaining in the third quarter).

“It was definitely a tough matchup, he’s definitely one of the best shooters in the league,” Hunter said. “I just moved my feet, tried to stay with him and tried not to let him get in my head.”

If W-H is victorious Friday against Quincy and Hingham beats Plymouth North on Thursday, the two teams will share the league title.

Boys’ hoops net first back-to-back league titles

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The Panther players and coaches gather for a team photo after winning their second consecutive league title Feb. 10. / Photo by: Sue Moss

With a 56-42 victory over Hingham, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team has won its league for the second straight season.

WHITMAN – On Friday, Feb. 10, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team felt a sense of accomplishment. 

The Panthers defeated Hingham, 56-42, to capture the Patriot League Keenan Division, giving the program back-to-back titles for the first time.

W-H, which graduated eight seniors, including its entire starting five, from the roster that made it to the Division 2 state semifinals last year, has defied all odds thus far.

“It’s pretty emotional,” Panthers head coach Bob Rodgers said of the win. “I think when a lot of people don’t give you a chance to do something, in particular these kids that had to keep hearing about last year’s team. They wanted their own identity and they came into this season with just some thing to prove.”

When W-H (13-3, 11-2) needed a basket, Nikko Raftes was there to deliver. The Panthers, who led by as much as 10 in the fourth quarter, watched their advantage shrink as Hingham (8-8, 8-5) sliced its deficit to five, 45-40, midway through the final frame. On W-H’s next trip down the court, Raftes drilled a turnaround jumper to push the Panthers lead to 47-40.

“Such a big play,” Rodgers said. “That was probably the dagger when he hit that.”

On the ensuing W-H possession, the senior captain then spotted up from beyond the arc and drilled a 3-pointer to push the Panthers cushion to 10, 50-40, all but sealing their victory. 

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Lucas Franklin, who had six points in the game, adds two to the tally. / Photo by: Sue Moss

“He’s amazing,” Rodgers said. “He’s just one of the best shooters we’ve had and we’ve had a lot of good shooters.” 

Two Raftes free throws in the final minute made it a 56-42 game.

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Jacob Hanson-Bartlett is guarded by Hingham’s big man Lorgan Larsen who stands at 6’8″ in some close action under the basket. / Photo by: Sue Moss

However, the Harbormen, who were out to avenge a 52-37 loss to W-H Jan. 13, gave the Panthers a bit of a scare early on. Luke Tamulevich (16 points in first half) kick started the Panthers offense with a 3-pointer, steal and layup to push W-H in front 5-0Jacob Hanson-Bartlett is guarded by Hingham’s big man Lorgan Larsen who stands at 6’8″ in some close action under the basket. / Photo by: Sue Mos

“Luke has been one of the biggest offensive weapons we’ve had all year,” Rodgers said. “He’s somebody who can get it done on both ends of the floor.” 

Hingham would battle back behind the play of center Logan Larsen, and pulled ahead 12-11 at the end of the opening quarter.

W-H would begin to drive to the basket to begin the second quarter, despite the lengthy presence of Larsen inside, which opened the floor for four treys in the frame.

With W-H trailing 24-23, Raftes drilled a 3-pointer to push it ahead by two, igniting an 8-0 run.

Hingham followed up the triple with a pair of fouls, two missed field goals and a turnover.

Tamulevich’s trey with under a minute remaining in the second quarter – giving W-H its largest lead of the first half, 31-24, –capped off the run.

The Harorbmen sliced their deficit to as few as six in the third quarter, but W-H allowed just three field goals in the stanza to retain its lead. 

The victory extends the Panthers winning streak to four games, which they are holding opponents to 44 points per contest

Tamulevich led all scorers with 19 points, Raftes chipped in 15 and Jacob Hanson-Bartlett added 10 points and seven boards (five offensive).

“We just have to keep doing what we do,” Rodgers said. “Great plays don’t win championships, the boring plays win championships. All the little things [such as] boxing out, closing out and all of that.”